Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB24/16/003

Address :
Ballygowan Bridge, The Square, Ballygowan, Co. Down BT23 6HA

Townland:
Ballygowan

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Survey 2:
Record Only

Date of Listing:

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Bridge

Former Use
Bridge

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
Yes

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
167/9

IG Ref:
J4306 6379

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Owner Category

Central Govt

Exterior Description And Setting

Road bridge spanning the Ballygowan River as it passes through the centre of the village of Ballygowan. The NW face of the bridge appears largely original, being of random basalt rubble construction with two small-ish segmental arches and a central cutwater. At this side the river is enclosed on the N side by a basalt rubble ‘bank’. Matching rubble parapet to NW side. The SE side has been reconstructed (undoubtedly due to the widening of the Road in fairly recent times) and has a curving coursed rubble parapet and two modern square concrete arches. The road above is covered in tarmac.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

The original (slightly narrower) version of this bridge is shown on the OS maps of 1834 and 1858 and also indicated on Taylor’s and Skinner’s 1777 map of the area. In recent times the road has been widened slightly necessitating the reconstruction of the SE face of the bridge. In 1811 the Belfast News-Letter carried a wanted notice concerning a Patrick Miskelly who had been accused of the murder of a William Skilling on ‘Ballygowan Bridge’. Miskelly was said to have fled the scene and was reported as heading southwards to Saintfield and thence to Loughinisland. References- Primary sources 1 ‘Taylor’s and Skinner’s Maps of the Roads of Ireland’ (Dublin 1777), map 283. 2 Linen Hall Library BNL [?] 1811. 3 PRONI OS map 1st ed. 1834 Down 16. 4 PRONI OS map 1st rev. 1858-60 Down 16. 5 EHS OS map 167-9 (1:2500) 1973. Secondary sources 1 W.A. McCutcheon ‘The Industrial Archaeology of Northern Ireland’ (HMSO 1980), pp.15-16.

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

Not listed

Historic Interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Road bridge over the Ballygowan River of probable pre 1834 origin. The random rubble NW face appears largely original, but that to the SE is a modern rebuild due to the widening of the road.

General Comments

Date of Survey

19 January 1999